Giovanni's Island

2014 1h 42m JA

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🍅

78%

FRESH

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 118🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes★7.3IMDB · 2,363

AnimationDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast... and on the unhealed border in this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Inspired by true events.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Masachika Ichimura
Tatsuo Senou (voice)
Yukie Nakama
Sawako (voice)
Kanako Yanagihara
Micchan (voice)
Yusuke Santamaria
Hideo (voice)
Kota Yokoyama
Junpei Senou (voice)
Junya Taniai
Kanta Senou (voice)
Saburo Kitajima
Genzou Senou (voice)
Hiroshi Inuzuka
Chief (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mizuho Nishikubo
Writers: Shigemichi Sugita, Nobutake Ito, Yoriyasu Kogawa
Languages: Japanese, Russian
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mizuho Nishikubo, shot by Yumiko Nakata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Masashi Sada. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Junichi Uematsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Masachika Ichimura and Yukie Nakama and Kanako Yanagihara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3178174 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mizuho Nishikubo directs. Yumiko Nakata behind the camera. Masashi Sada scores. Junichi Uematsu cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 12 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, Russian.
3Directed by Mizuho Nishikubo, shot by Yumiko Nakata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Masashi Sada. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Junichi Uematsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Masachika Ichimura and Yukie Nakama and Kanako Yanagihara carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt3178174 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "dancing", "friendship", "island", "loss of loved one".

The technical file

Cinematography: Yumiko Nakata
Original score: Masashi Sada
Editing: Junichi Uematsu
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Giovanni's Island (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 2,363 votes

Awards

3 wins & 2 nominations total

CICFF Children's Jury Award for Best Animated Feature Film
CICFF Professional Jury Award for Best Animated Feature Film
Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mizuho Nishikubo

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2015-09-24
★ 6.5/10
The consequence of the WWII on the two Japanese children. The latest Japanese anime, based on the fictional account. Following the Japan's surrender during the World War II, the narration concentrates how the people are affected by the consequences of the war. The movie opens with the two elderly people heading towards their childhood village, recalling their memories. The entire movie was from the children's perspective of what they have seen. The story of two young boys living in a remote island of the Japan. Who are obsessed with the toy trains and hopes see them in real one day. When Soviet invades the island and forced to live under their rule with coexist. The life remains unaffected, the children go to the school as usual, where these two boys meet the young Russian blonde girl and befriends. What comes after is the struggle that becomes a lot tougher by the days come and surviving becomes challenging. It was not a top notch anime as I was expecting, but had a decent storyline and the characters. Still, it was a traditional presentation and so pleasant to watch. Somewhat it reminds the 'Grave of the Fireflies', but comparable with that, it was only the less emotionally appealing. The end really got me, I felt the depth. The strong conclusion was the movie's strength, otherwise I would have not liked the flick this much. Yet, I am not sure whether everybody going to like it or not, but still I suggest it only if you're convinced by other than my review too. 6½/10

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